Why was the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge chosen as a recovery site?
The coastal area of North Carolina was selected for released red wolves for several reasons. The area is within the red wolf’s historical range, the human population is of moderate size and density, prey species are abundant, the area is surrounded by water on three sides (which, it was hoped, would restrict some movement by the wolves), and the area had very few coyotes, which would lessen the chance that the wolves would hybridize. However, coyote have since become more plentiful, and red wolf interbreeding now presents a challenge to red wolf recovery.
